For Her to Know

As the new MOPS/MOMSnext year kicked off in the the fall, our welcome packet included a courage key. It was supposed to symbolize the theme of "Be You Bravely."

From the minute I got my MOPS courage key, I couldn't wait to give it away. I immediately thought of all the people I could give it to.

I wanted to make sure it went to someone the embodied the courage key idea. I wanted to let that person know that other moms, her people, were praying for her and were with her in the everyday struggles of life and holding her hand through the scary ones.

I really wanted to hand my courage key to someone who could use to know about the millions of moms who have been there. I wanted her to have a physical reminder of that so then the nights get long, the days get painfully chaotic, she knows that she was chosen by God to mother these children and live this life and we support her and love her for that.

So while I wanted to throw a ceremony to pass off the key, it actually happened in a very unassuming way.

I wrote a letter, stuck it in an envelope with the key and slipped it into a bag with some other things I was giving her. The letter explained what the key meant and where it came from. It wasn’t a glamorous letter, it wasn’t wordy, it wasn’t over the top or filled with fanfare.

I away gave my key to someone I thought could use it. Not the key so much. And definitely not the Courage because she's dealt with some stuff recently and handled it like a pro. However, I thought she could use a reminder of what is behind her with support and encouragement.

I have no idea if she’s opened it yet and frankly, I don’t know that I care. I mean, I hope it didn’t get thrown out and I really hope she doesn’t think it was ridiculous and silly. But I don’t need that fanfare. What I need is for her to know that she is part of this awesome little community.